An analyzer system can perform assays on fluid sample material. For example, in the clinical laboratory context, the analyzer system can be configured to perform multi-step analytical processes (for example, a nucleic acid test (NAT) designed to detect microbe, such as a virus or a bacterium) that involve adding substances (e.g., fluids), such as samples, solid supports, buffers, oil, primers, polymerases, nucleotides, labels, probes, or other reaction fluids, to and/or removing substances from receptacles, agitating receptacles to mix the contents thereof, maintaining and/or altering the temperature of the contents of the receptacles, heating or chilling the contents of the receptacles, altering the concentration of one or more content components of the receptacles, separating or isolating constituent components of the contents of the receptacles, detecting an electromagnetic signal emission (for example, light) from the contents of the receptacles, deactivating or halting an on-going reaction, or any combination of two or more of such processes.
The analyzer system can be automated to perform the desired analytical process. Accordingly, the analyzer system can automatically identify the contents of a sample receptacle and the assay to perform. For example, the analyzer system can read labels, for example, a barcode, on the sample receptacle to identify the contents of the sample receptacle and the assay to perform.